In cutting glass to a desired dimension or configuration, it is first necessary to score the surface of the glass continuously along a desired line or path. Thereafter, the glass will fracture along the score upon the application of a slight pressure, impact or torque. Hand held tools or glass cutters useful for scoring the glass surface have been made in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit the preferences and comfort of the user. Such hand held devices generally consist of an elongated handle having a holder at one end to receive a glass scoring member such as a wheel or tip and a finger gripping portion on the handle adjacent to the scoring member. The pressure necessary to score the glass is applied to the scoring member by the worker's fingers upon the gripping portion.
The amount of pressure applied in scoring the glass surface is often a matter of personal preference, some workers using a substantially greater pressure than others. Elements of fatigue also enter into the amount of pressure applied to the cutting member, particularly when a large number of cuts are made over a period of time. Another factor giving rise to fatigue in prior art hand held glass cutters is the rather cramped position which must be taken by the user's fingers upon the gripping portion during the scoring operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand held glass cutter which will overcome many of the disadvantages of prior art glass cutters.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass cutter which is suitable for the application of a wide variety of glass scoring pressures.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hand held glass cutter in which the pressure applying fingers of the user's hand are extended in a natural position.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a glass cutter having a cross bar between the finger gripping portion and the handle to urge the cutter forward when cutting is done in a forward direction (away from the user) and to serve as a bearing surface for additional hand pressure applied to the scoring member.
A feature of the present invention is its symmetrical shape which lends itself to use by either left or right handed persons.